SEATTLE-CAMPUS SHOOTING
Gunman opens fire at small Christian university
SEATTLE (AP) β The president of Seattle Pacific University says it’s a community “that relies on Jesus Christ for strength” and that it needs to now.
A prayer vigil was held Thursday night, hours after a gunman opened fire with a shotgun, fatally wounding one person before a student subdued him with pepper spray.
A 19-year-old man died at a hospital. Three other people were injured, one critically.
At the vigil, people packed the First Free Methodist Church on campus for a service of prayers and song. So many people crowded into the building that dozens of people gathered on a lawn near the church and formed their own groups as the sun set.
Sound:
323-a-18-(Chris Howerd, student, Seattle Pacific University, in AP interview)-“to the ground”-Seattle Pacific University student Chris Howard says he saw the shooter after he’d been subdued. ((note length of cut)) (5 Jun 2014)
< 322-a-15-(Jillian Smith, student, Seattle Pacific University, in AP interview)-“been a shooting”-Seattle Pacific University student Jillian Smith says she was in class when the shooting took place. (5 Jun 2014) < 324-q-16-(Three Seattle Pacific University students, in AP interview)-“especially at SPU”-These Seattle Pacific University students were asked how they feel after the shooting on campus. (5 Jun 2014) < 308-a-06-(Unidentified student at Seattle Pacific University, in interview)-“just like scared”-This student says she’s praying for the people who were injured. (5 Jun 2014) < 309-a-07-(Unidentified student at Seattle Pacific University, in interview)-“control and stuff”-This student says something should be done to reduce gun violence. (5 Jun 2014) < 310-a-09-(Unidentified student at Seattle Pacific University, in interview)-“it at first”-This student says it was scary, but the university did a good job of warning them after the shots were fired at the Otto Miller building. (5 Jun 2014) < 300-a-07-(Dr. Daniel Martin, president, Seattle Pacific University, at news conference)-“and senseless act”-University President Dr. Daniel Martin says the campus community is grieving. ((note “today” in cut refers to Thursday)) (5 Jun 2014) < 302-a-08-(Dr. Daniel Martin, president, Seattle Pacific University, at news conference)-“point in time”-University President Dr. Daniel Martin says students, faculty and the community will turn to their faith to heal. (5 Jun 2014) < PENTAGON-GAY PRIDE Pentagon LGBT pride observance opens with prayer WASHINGTON (AP) β The U.S. Air Force Chief of Chaplains has delivered the opening prayer at the Pentagon’s observance of LGBT Pride Month. At Thursday’s ceremony, Maj. Gen. Howard Stendahl asked God to “open our minds” and “help us to set aside limitations of prejudice of any kind.” Two officers at the ceremony said their same-sex weddings had been performed by military chaplains. Deputy Secretary of Defense Richard Work said “the entire Department of Defense joins the nation in celebrating LGBT Pride Month.” He said the repeal of the don’t-ask don’t-tell policy has not weakened the U.S. military as some had predicted it would. The observance was emceed by Amanda Simpson, who self-identified as “the highest ranking open transgender person ever in the federal government.” The executive director of the Army Energy Initiatives Task Force was a test pilot named Mitchell Simpson before undergoing a sex change operation. Sound: 343-a-11-(Maj. Gen. Howard Stendahl, U.S. Air Force Chief of Chaplains, at Pentagon LGBT Pride Month observance)-“of any kind”-Maj. Gen. Howard Stendahl, the Air Force chief of chaplains, asks God help people overcome prejudice. (5 Jun 2014) < 347-a-13-(Amanda Simpson, a Defense Department official formerly known as Mitchell Simpson, at Pentagon LGBT Pride Month observance)-“the federal government”-Amanda Simpson, a Defense Department official formerly known as Mitchell Simpson, emcees the Pentagon observance. (5 Jun 2014) < 346-a-13-(Deputy Secretary of Defense Richard Work, at Pentagon LGBT Pride Month observance)-“from the truth”-Deputy Secretary of Defense Richard Work says the U.S. military is stronger with LGBT troops and civilians. (5 Jun 2014) < 344-a-12-(Maj. Gen. Howard Stendahl, U.S. Air Force Chief of Chaplains, at Pentagon LGBT Pride Month observance)-“and the prophets”-Maj. Gen. Howard Stendahl, the Air Force chief of chaplains, asks God to make the Pentagon a welcoming place. (5 Jun 2014) < 345-a-07-(Deputy Secretary of Defense Richard Work, at Pentagon LGBT Pride Month observance)-“LGBT Pride Month”-Deputy Secretary of Defense Richard Work says the military embraces its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered troops and civilians. (5 Jun 2014) < D-DAY PRAYER FDR led Americans in prayer on D-Day WASHINGTON (AP) β In a live broadcast 70 years ago today, the president of the United States prayed for victory in the D-Day invasion. As U.S and allied troops launched the invasion of Nazi-held France that would help end World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt asked the nation to join him in prayer. He asked “Almighty God” to give the allied troops courage and faith. “With thy blessing,” he prayed, “we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.” Congressional efforts to authorize adding Roosevelt’s D-Day prayer to the FDR memorial at private expense have so far been unsuccessful. Sound: 349-a-12-(President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in radio broadcast on June 6, 1944)-“into thy kingdom”-On June 6, 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt asked God to protect American troops. (5 Jun 2014) < 348-a-17-(President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in radio broadcast on June 6, 1944)-“and our civilization”-On June 6, 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt prayed for victory in the D-Day invasion. (5 Jun 2014) < 350-a-14-(President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in radio broadcast on June 6, 1944)-“our united crusade”-On June 6, 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt asked God to give Americans faith to defeat Nazi Germany. (5 Jun 2014) < 351-a-07-(President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in radio broadcast on June 6, 1944)-“of our enemy”-On June 6, 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt asked God to give Americans victory in World War II. (5 Jun 2014) < HEALTH CARE LAW-CATHOLIC CHALLENGE US judge in Oklahoma grants health care injunction OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) β A federal judge has granted nearly 200 Catholic employers an injunction to temporarily prevent the U.S. government from forcing them to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives. The Catholic Benefits Association filed a lawsuit in March alleging that a provision of the Affordable Care Act forced them to violate their religious objections to contraception and abortion-inducing drugs. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge David Russell of Oklahoma City granted an injunction that exempts members from any fines or penalties arising from not complying with the provision while their objections are litigated. The association includes archdioceses, an insurance company and a nursing home across almost 2,000 Catholic parishes nationwide. The owners of the Hobby Lobby arts and crafts chain won a favorable ruling in a similar lawsuit in the same court and at the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case in March and will announce its ruling this month. SOUTHERN BAPTISTS Southern Baptists to gather amid declines NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) β The Southern Baptist Convention holds its annual meeting next week amid continuing declines in attendance, membership and baptisms. Leaders of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination have been concerned about the trends for several years. A task force of pastors assigned to study the declines released its report last month, and recommendations included praying for a “spiritual awakening in our churches and our nation.” The Rev. Russell Moore, president of the SBC’s public policy arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, has said that Southern Baptists can no longer pretend to be the moral majority and should instead seek to be a “prophetic minority.” The Southern Baptists gathering in Baltimore next week will elect a president to replace the Rev. Fred Luter, the denomination’s first African American leader, who has served the maximum two one-year terms. CATHOLIC TEACHER CONTRACTS Columbus Catholic teachers must sign agreements COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) β Employees of Roman Catholic schools in Columbus, Ohio, are being required to sign updated agreements that include specific examples of immoral conduct that are prohibited. Examples of behavior that could get the workers fired include having sex without being married, having an abortion or publicly supporting abortion rights, and entering into a marriage not recognized by the Catholic Church. The Columbus Dispatch reports that the Diocese of Columbus joined its counterparts in Cincinnati and Cleveland in amending school policies to detail the examples of prohibited behavior. Teachers and other employees are now receiving the updated contracts. The changes come after the Columbus diocese reached a private settlement with a physical-education teacher who was fired after she acknowledged her same-sex partner in a newspaper obituary. GAY MARRIAGE Wyoming religious leaders support gay marriage CASPER, Wyo. (AP) β Thirty-one religious leaders in Wyoming have signed a statement calling for the state to allow gay marriage. A group called Wyoming Unites for Marriage collected the signatures. The Cheyenne-based effort recently also collected signatures from lawyers in the state who support same-sex marriage. The Casper Star-Tribune reports that the statement the religious leaders signed emphasized different denominations will always be free to determine whether they want to endorse marriage between same-sex couples. In March, four same-sex couples sued Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead and other state officials in Laramie County District Court in Cheyenne to challenge the state’s ban on gay marriage. The lawsuit is pending. VACCINE REFUSAL-FIRING NJ court rules for nurse in vaccine-refusal firing HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (AP) β A New Jersey appeals court says a nurse was unfairly denied unemployment benefits after she was fired for refusing a flu shot without claiming a religious or medical exemption. June Valent was working as a nurse at Hackettstown Community Hospital in 2010 when the company began requiring employees to take the flu vaccine unless they had medical or religious reasons not to. Anyone who refused would be required to wear a mask. Valent declined the vaccine. She didn’t state a medical or religious exemption, but she agreed to wear a mask. She was terminated based on her refusal of the vaccine and disqualified for unemployment benefits. The appellate judges concluded that the hospital violated Valent’s right to freedom of expression by endorsing the religious-based exemption while denying her secular choice. SUDAN-DEATH SENTENCE Sudan: Woman appeals ‘apostasy’ death sentence KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) β A defense lawyer for a Sudanese woman sentenced to death for refusing to recant her Christian faith says she has appealed the verdict. Lawyer Eman Abdel-Rahim told The Associated Press that the appeal demands her client’s release because the court that tried her committed “procedural errors.” Meriam Ibrahim was sentenced last month to death by a Khartoum court for allegedly converting to Christianity from Islam. She maintains that her Muslim father left when she was young and that she was raised a Christian by her Ethiopian mother, who is an Orthodox Christian. She married a Christian man from southern Sudan in a church ceremony in 2011. A video obtained by the AP shows Ibrahim with her newborn daughter and her toddler son Martin at the prison hospital where she gave birth. Looking happy and relaxed, the video shows Ibrahim breastfeeding the baby while seated on a bed with Martin sitting close by. NIGERIA-VIOLENCE Witnesses: Boko Haram slaughters 100s in Nigeria MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) β Witnesses say Boko Haram militants dressed as soldiers slaughtered at least 200 civilians in three communities in northeastern Nigeria and that the military failed to intervene. It’s the latest attack by the Islamic extremist group that kidnapped more than 300 schoolgirls from the village of Chibot in April. A community leader who witnessed the killings on Monday said the militants forced everyone into the village centers, began to shout “Allahu akbar,” and then “started to fire at the people continuously for a very long time until all who had gathered were dead.” Allahu akbar means God is great. Boko Haram, which wants to establish Islamic state in Nigeria, has been taking over villages in the northeast, killing and terrorizing civilians and political leaders. Speaking alongside President Barack Obama in Brussels Thursday, British Prime Minister David Cameron said both their countries are committed to helping Nigeria. Sound: 289-a-09-(Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, leader of the world Anglican Communion, at news conference)-“there have been”-Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby says he’s in Nigeria to offer spiritual support to President Goodluck Jonathan. (4 Jun 2014) < 290-a-05-(Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, leader of the world Anglican Communion, at news conference)-“through these troubles”-Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby says Nigeria can have a brighter future. (4 Jun 2014) < 353-a-13-(British Prime Minister David Cameron, at joint news conference with President Barack Obama)-“these barbaric extremists”-British Prime Minister David Cameron says the U.S. and Britain are helping Nigeria search for hundreds of school girls kidnapped by Islamic militants. (5 Jun 2014) < 352-a-06-(British Prime Minister David Cameron, at joint news conference with President Barack Obama)-“of Boko Haram”-British Prime Minister David Cameron says he and President Barack Obama will help Nigeria battle Islamic militants. (5 Jun 2014) < VATICAN-REFORM Pope Francis shakes up Vatican financial watchdog VATICAN CITY (AP) β Pope Francis has ousted the all-Italian board of the Vatican’s financial watchdog agency, installing a more international set of experts following repeated clashes between the board and the agency’s director. The four new board members announced Thursday are from Italy, Switzerland, Singapore and the United States. The board of the Financial Information Authority had complained that it was being kept in the dark about agency activities since a Swiss anti-money-laundering expert arrived as director in 2012. The infighting led to the resignation of Italian Cardinal Attilio Nicora as authority president earlier this year. The Vatican created the agency in 2010 to supervise and regulate the Holy See’s financial activities and share financial information with other countries to comply with international anti-money laundering norms. GERMANY-JEWISH CLAIMS German Parliament extends Holocaust pensions BERLIN (AP) β Germany’s Parliament has unanimously voted to extend pension payments for thousands of elderly Jews who were forced to work for the Nazis in ghettos. The Jewish Claims Conference, which helped negotiate the deal with the government, said the deal that passed Thursday means some 40,000 Holocaust survivors will soon be able to receive benefits back-dated to 1997. That’s the year Germany began recognizing work in ghettos as eligible for pension payments. Until now, recipients have only received payments backdated to four years from when they applied. During World War II, the Nazis made widespread use of Jews, primarily non-Germans, in ghettos as laborers in exchange for food or meager wages. The proposal was introduced by Labor Minister Andrea Nahles, who has promised that payments will be made “swiftly and efficiently.”
